The federal government released its yearly report card on No Child Left Behind Friday and it wasn’t good news for Iowa schools.
The yearly assessment says the number of schools in need of assistance reached 35.9-percent from 2011-2012. That’s up from 29.6-percent the previous year.
Iowa’s Director of Education Jason Glass says the results are due to higher expectations set by the Iowa Core of Standards, which took effect this school year. He also said the federal No Child Left Behind law holds schools to unrealistic measures that don’t factor-in student improvement every year.
“The calculation method that we’re using is unfairly, penalizing schools that are making a lot of progress with kids,” says Glass.
Director Glass says the state received a temporary one-year waiver from the No Child Left Behind requirements, but will need to apply for a permanent waiver or fall back on federal standards if it isn’t approved.
(thanks to our sister station WHO-TV for this report)
